Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and the Unexpected Solutions

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and the Unexpected Solutions

The New York Times bestseller from the author of Chasing the Scream, offering a radical new way of thinking about depression and anxiety.What really causes depression and anxiety--and how can we really solve them? Award-winning journalist Johann Hari suffered from depression since he was a child and started taking antidepressants when he was a teenager. He was told that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain. As an adult, trained in the social sciences, he began to investigate whether this was true--and he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and anxiety is wrong.Across the world, Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and anxiety are not caused by a chemical imbalance in our brains. In fact, they are largely caused by key problems with the way we live today. Hari's journey took him from a mind-blowing series of experiments in Baltimore, to an Amish community in Indiana, to an uprising in Berlin. Once he had uncovered nine real causes of depression and anxiety, they led him to scientists who are discovering seven very different solutions--ones that work.It is an epic journey that will change how we think about one of the biggest crises in our culture today. His TED talk, "Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong," has been viewed more than eight million times and revolutionized the global debate. This book will do the same.

Reviews

If you have ever been down, or felt lost, this amazing book will change your life. Do yourself a favour - read it now * Elton John * Wise, probing and deeply generous Hari has produced a book packed with explosive revelations about our epidemic of deipair ... I am utterly convinced that the more people read this book, the better off the world will be * Naomi Klein * A brilliant, stimulating, radical take on mental health * Matt Haig, author of How to Stop Time * This book is a game changer * Davina McCall * Extraordinary ... A highly personal book, written with humility, humour and candour, it nonetheless heralds a crucial new discussion about our mental health - and health of the world we've created for ourselves ... I honestly couldn't put it down. What a stunning piece of work * Brian Eno * As with his book on drugs, Johann Hari has delivered a remarkable tour de force on a difficult, complex and controversial subject and made the reader think anew * Alastair Campbell * An exquisitely lucid treatise on why no person is, has been or ever should be an island. This book is the most exciting thing I've read this year. From slightly seedy to suicidal - however you are feeling - read this book and it will honestly help you to understand which roads we must walk if we want to see true, lasting change * Emma Thompson * This is an astonishing book, that transforms our understanding of one of the crucial issues of our times. Johann Hari asks the big questions and provides the big answers - answers that have been neglected for far too long. You cannot fully understand this great curse of our age until you have read it * George Monbiot * Johann Hari has written a book that could actually make us happy. It is very important everyone read this book and do what he says as quickly as possible * Simon Amstell * A vital, compelling and eye-opening examination of the myths we have been taught to believe about depression and anxiety ... Hari again proves that he is one of the world's most important and most enlightening thinkers and social critics * Glenn Greenwald * A beautiful book from the person that brilliantly once said "the opposite of addiction is connection" and who now explores and offers some solutions to our disconnection * Jemima Khan * This is a bold and inspiring book that will help far more than just those who suffer from depression. As Hari shows, we all have within us the potential to live in ways that are healthier and wiser * Ariana Huffington * This is an extraordinary, elegant exploration of a timely problem. It is written with wit and elan and provides a devastating analysis of our society that is both shocking and profound * Dr Max Pemberton of the Daily Mail *

Author description

Johann Hari is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream. He was a columnist for the Independent in London for nine years and was twice named Newspaper Journalist of the Year by Amnesty International UK. He has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, Slate, the New Republic and the Nation. He has been awarded the Comment Award for Cultural Commentator of the Year by Editorial Intelligence, and has been named Journalist of the Year by Stonewall. His TED Talk `Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong' and animated video on the same subject has been viewed over 16 million times. Hari lives in London. chasingthescream.com / @johannhari101